THE 10-day Shenzhen Shopping Carnival starts Wednesday with colorful events including parades, countdown activities and dance parties, as the city takes on a festive mood for Christmas.

The official opening ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. at Guomao Times Square. The second ceremony marking the beginning of a night of revelry will start at 5:00 p.m. at the Happy Valley theme park. A special treat will be an oversized 60-meter-long and 70-centimeter-wide pizza to be shared among guests.

Following the ceremony, six parades will be held in the five city districts, each starting from a major department store. The starting points include C-Mall in the Overseas Chinese Town, Guomao Times Square in Luohu, Jiuzhou Department Store in Longgang, Jiahua Department Store in Bao'an and Chuangjing Mingdian in Nanshan. There will be more than 2,000 Santa Clauses in the parades.

At midnight, thousands of people will gather at the CITIC City Plaza, Window of the World, Happy Valley, Baocheng Square and Longcheng Square, dancing to welcome Christmas.

Most citizens regard Christmas as just another time them to spend money, have fun and meet up with friends. That was why the first shopping carnival was scheduled between Christmas and New Year's Day, regarded as the best time for shopping promotion, according to Hua Tao, general secretary of the local retailers association.

Relative Specials: Season of Festivals

Editor: Wings